Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Broyles: Let workers speak for, against elected county officials

Commissioner Amy Broyles

Local leaders will look into a proposal that protects Knox
County government employees from workplace retaliation that could potentially
result from any public statements they might make about elected or appointed
county officials.

The plan, spearheaded by Knox County Commissioner Amy
Broyles, comes as election season gears up and in the wake of outspoken
comments made recently by teachers about how the school system operates and its
top management.

The commission is expected to officially address the matter
during its Feb. 18 work session.

“During election season we always hear stories about someone
who wanted to campaign for so-and-so but they were afraid because they didn’t
want their boss to find out and fire them,” Broyles said. “There’s a lot of
contested races and I want all the county employees to know that they can
campaign for whoever they want to.”

Almost every county seat, including posts on the school
board, commission and some of the major positions, like mayor, sheriff and district
attorney, are up for election this year. The county primaries are set for May
with and the general elections in August.

Broyles said she’s also talked to teachers who have told her
that “they’re afraid to speak out because they’re afraid of bad evaluations, or
being fired or transferred, so I wanted to make sure they knew that they’re being
heard.”

the glass is usually half empty

My name is Mike Donila and I'm a reporter with WBIR in Knoxville, TN. I cover government. All politics is local, and mostly ridiculous. Travis Fain of Lucid Idiocy said that. He's a smart guy. This is my blog. The content ranges.